A Deal With The Devil
by girlfromuncle
Summary: Be very careful when making a deal with the devil. You might find out you were him all along. Shigure learns about the zodiac curse in more depth than anyone was ever meant to, and what he does with that shakes the Sohma world to its core.
1. Chapter 1

Akito could have put in one lamp, Shigure thought to himself. He sat in Akitos chambers, having been called to the main house with no more detail then "Get over here. NOW. (click)". Shigure smiled internally. Akito could be almost adorable in his childlike fits of controlling rage.

The family god's need to control every tiny detail of every room on the estate was obviously intended to rattle the Juunishi. Akito's primary weapon was psychological terror and he wielded it with deadly precision. From Yuki's gilded cage to the tiny cell where each Cat lived out their days, he made sure to put enough uncertainty and terror in their homes to ensure they would never have the strength to leave him.

Still, Shigure mused, a little light wouldn't be too much to ask. Shigure had spent years of careful planning to put himself in the favor of their god, pulling strings and moving mountains to maintain the appearance of someone who only lived to serve. It would be easier to make his moves if he could read Akitos face, but this was the suspected reason Akito preferred to keep their meetings dark. Unless Shigure got close enough to initiate physical contact he would have to go by a vague outline for body language and the tone of his voice.

Akito revealed more then he knew through his words. Of course, Shigure was a master manipulator and could squeeze blood from a stone. Akito wasn't so complicated. Not to him. Akito did his best to only speak in anger and sharp condescension. Inside the tyrannical god was a scared child, whom Shigure had been cozying up to for years. Building up to this. He was finally ready to turn the tables in his favor. All he needed was a little more understanding of how their curse worked.

Kureno opened the door for Akito. Enough light fell on Akito's face for Shigure to see his obvious frustration. Outwardly Shigure remained expressionless, though inside he laughed. He would never tell this to Akito but when frustrated he strongly resembled a six year old who wasn't allowed to stay up five more minutes. Shigure knew that he was getting under Akito's skin, and was going to put it to his benefit in a completely unexpected way. Kureno paused.

"Is there anything else, Akito-sama?"

"No. That's all. Leave us!"

Kureno bowed respectfully and turned around. The door closed softly, leaving Shigure and Akito completely alone for the first time since Shigure moved out.

"Akito-sama. How wonderful to be invited back."

"Shut it, Dog. You ABANDONED me and now you INSULT me with COMPLIMENTS? I will NOT have such disrespect."

Shigure smiled banally. "Akito-sama, who's abandoned you? I only moved to be a more prolific writer and bring honor to the Sohma name." Man, he was laying it on thick today. He dropped his tone from sweet to serious. "I would never leave your side if I was able. The fact that the media is spotlighting my work and attempting to follow me to my home, even if it's only in a low level writers publication, would put the entire zodiac at risk. It pains me to be away from my beloved god."

Pause.

"How can I be sure of that? You would make any excuse to be away from me."

"Akito-sama." He stood up and sat next to his god. "Believe me when I say that it thrills me deeply to be near you again." He put his hand on Akitos leg gently, repressing a shudder of disgust. Akito's eyes widened and he covered Shigure's hand with his own. Shigure felt Akito's heart speed up and smelled his pheremones increase. Disgusting.

"If...if you say so." Akito stood up sharply, storming across the room to hide the obvious attraction he felt towards Shigure. A ridiculous notion, anyone without heightened canine senses would be able to see it. The key element in Akitos downfall. Akito could not, or would not resist Shigure for long. It was only a matter of time before he gave into his need for his most clever Juunishi. "You called and asked me to see you. Why?

"I need access to our library."

Akito started, stunned into disbelief. That was none of his business! He would NEVER allow someone in there. "Are you out of your mind, Shigure?! What could POSSIBLY be in MY study that YOU need so badly? No. I shan't give it to you." He folded his arms and stared into the corner of the room.

Shigure stood closely behind Akito, placing his hands on Akito's slender shoulders. "My dove, what's wrong? I want to help Hatori. I believe he might be able to erase memories from a distance. Think how valuable it would be to find such a way of controlling the minds of everyone who interacts with your family." A lie so outrageous Shigure's tongue should have shriveled up and fallen off. "Your time is too valuable to waste combing through dusty books. You know I love research. And you." His insides twisted.

Akito wasn't sure whether to trust Shigure. Eventually, though, Shigure's very near proximity won out over reason and he choked "HERE.", ripping a golden key from around his neck. "You are to present your findings to Kureno and myself every hour on the hour you are in the library. You will only look at books pertaining to past dragons and memory loss, or the consequences will be beyond your imagining. Am I making myself clear?"

"Crystal." Shigure allowed a real smile to form. "I'll return tomorrow to begin." His hand briefly touched Akito's neck, an action he knew would resonate through Akito's entire being. The sap. He was so unused to being touched that any physical intimacy with someone he didn't completely despise left him entirely undone. Shigure suspected that it went beyond that into the territory of real feelings on Akito's end, but wasn't sure if he cared. He'd get what he wanted at the expense of Akito's heart. It was Akito himself who had taught Shigure to be so underhanded. Really, he should be proud.

Shigure walked out without a backwards glance, looking forward for the first time to an impending visit at Akito's. He'd find the answers he was looking for. Nothing could get in his way.

Not even the fragile heart of one who had broken every heart around him just for the pleasure of knowing he could.


	2. Chapter 2

Shigure walked up to the door of the library. It was inconspicuous, identical to dozens of doors in the same hallway. Shigure only noticed something special about this one having never seen anyone go in or out. There were rooms in the Honke that were infrequently used, but still...what could be behind a door that didn't even allow a maid in once a month?

He had discovered that it was a mysterious library entirely by accident. Shigure had been walking down that very hallway as a young boy, clutching a book under his arm as he often did. One of his older aunts looked at him as he passed the library and noted the book under his arm.

"SHIGURE-KUN! WHERE exactly did you get that book?"

Hmm. Motoko-san was an older relative of his that was prone to alcoholism and gossip. Shigure saw her looking at his book then back to the door of what he now guessed to be a library of sorts and decided to play this for all the information he could get.

"Why, Motoko-san?" Shigure purposely hid the title out of view in what he hoped was a secretive fashion.

"It...it doesn't matter! But tell me anyway. You have to respect your elders, you know. Stupid boy." She moved to physically block the door, stumbling from delirium tremens. "You shouldn't be getting into things that aren't your business."

What a sweetheart. This was probably the relative of his that give him a pair of socks two sizes too small every Christmas. "Auntie" he started, laying on the sugar, "Akito-sama gave it to me himself. He wants every one of his Juunishi to be well read, especially me." Good, remind her of his status and scare her away. "Should I tell Akito-sama you were trying to interfere?"

The color drained out of Sohma Motoko's body as she remembered how much higher this cheeky twelve year old was in status in their family than her. She had been hoping to catch him sneaking into the library she suspected he had just tricked her into telling him about. He absolutely could report her for this, and with Akito's mysterious preference to the Juunishi, she would probably be kicked out of the good life at the Honke. Motoko scowled.

"Just don't do it again." She turned on her heels and stormed away.

"Whatever you say. Auntie dearest."

The millisecond she was out of sight and hearing range Shigure walked up to the forbidden door and peered into the keyhole. Completely black. He grinned manically. This had to be the one. Every other locked, secret door in the complex at least pretended to be a normal room. Excepting the cats special house, of course, but that was not his problem. In here had to be the spell that cursed them. Possibly the only written record of hope for a cure. He would get into that room and get his hands on that book if it took the rest of his life.

It had taken much less time then he had suspected, once Shigure learned of Akito's disgusting attraction towards him. Someone who holds you in a romantic favor is much easier to manipulate then someone who doesn't. An emotionally underdeveloped God who was hell bent on denying any feelings for any human being was putty in his hands as long as he didn't provoke the temper of that God.

"One hour, Shigure. That's all."

Shigure reached his hand out for the key. Akito laughed harshly. "Do you think I'm stupid, Dog? I will unlock the door. I will lock it again when you leave. You will never touch this key, understand? If you don't find what you're looking for now, you will not get another chance. Am I making myself clear?"

"Crystal. Thank you for letting me help Hatori and protect the secret of your zodiac." He smiled as sincerely as possible at Akito. Forget being a writer, Shigure should have gotten into acting. He had more personas than Japan had grains of rice. And the oscar goes to...

"I look forward to your return, Akito-sama. Kureno-san." Kureno nodded silently to him. Akito unlocked the door and left. Thank god. Not Akito of course, but the unnamed God who let Akito think it was a good idea to leave Shigure alone in a room containing every bit of information about the zodiac there was.

Shigure turned on the lights and locked the door to the library behind him. He briefly considered covering up the keyhole and the gap under the door, but figured that Akito would have made this hallway off limits for this hour. His chances of being discovered were slim, the reason that he waited until he had permission. Who knows what kind of wacko alarm system he would have set off if he had attempted to sneak in. He feared tripping a wire that would have automatically destroyed the book he was looking for and prayed no curious child before him had set that particular fail safe off.

Akito's thought processes didn't seem to be that advanced, he noted, as Shigure looked around the library. This was possible the most ordinary study he had ever seen. A table with a few chairs, and three bookshelves full of innocent looking textbooks. Akito should have left this door wide open, no one but Shigure would have bothered trying to read anything so plain.

Shigure knew he didn't have much time. He looked closely at each book on the bookshelves, looking for anything at all that made one different than the others. There was absolutely no way every volume in here was on the mysticism of the zodiac. No, he was looking for one book hidden among dozens. Hundreds would have made it harder to find, but would have looked more suspicious for a room that no one ever used.

He opened a few books. Dictionary. Cook book. Novel. Atlas. On his eleventh or twelfth try, he came to one with a small moon on the bottom. Every time he had started to open that book, one more interesting had caught his eye. He reached for the book with the moon for the fifth time, and fought back the urge to go and do anything else. Hadn't he left the stove on? His books needed editing. He needed to go grocery shopping. Anything.

Shigure's mind cleared as he touched it. He grinned. This was exactly what he had been looking for. Shigure opened the book and saw only blank pages. Not completely unexpected, it had been trying to make him go do something else ever since he noticed it. It only made sense that it would try and keep itself from being read.

He put it back casually, hoping no excitement had come over his face. He picked up several, attempting to look angry from frustration. Whatever camera Akito was surely watching him from would only note a man who was finding nothing.

Shigure pulled a few books from the shelves and stuffed them in a bag. He threw the one with the moon in second to last, barely resisting the urge to put it back. He was going to do the only thing he could think of that might possibly get the moon book out of this place.

Lie.

Akito came back right as Shigure was finished. "Well? Are you happy now? There are no spell books."

Shigure arranged his features in anger. He picked up the moon book immediately and waved it. "Do you think this is funny, Akito-sama?" He railroaded quickly, hoping to get his sentence out before Akito could confront him and blow his entire scheme. "One of my novels." He put it back and picked up a dictionary. "My reference dictionary." Put it down, pick up...an unlabeled binder! Excellent. "A short story of mine from high school. There is nothing here. Why you would take books from my room at the Honke and pretend it's a library that might have held..." he pretended to catch himself. Damn, he was good. "S...something. I'm putting these back." He stormed away angrily, leaving a shocked Akito behind him.

By the time Akito had collected himself, Shigure was long gone. He went to his study at the Honke and put the books on his shelves, exactly like he promised he would. He found a diary about the same shape and size as the mysterious blank book, and inscribed the same small moon with a pen. Hopefully when he came back to the main house Akito would have put what he thought was the omnibus of the zodiac mystique and would never bring the subject up again. Shigure counted on Akito's poor mental state and his completely misplaced trust in Shigure to convince him that this was the real book. Akito had most likely not seen the real moon book in years, and the diary was a convincing enough replica.

Putting the real book in his jacket, Shigure went back to his house, a little shocked when no one stopped him. Either he was walking straight into a trap, or...no. It was probably a trap. Still, he had taken the one shot he would ever get at doing this.

Shigure arrived home long after the three teenagers of his had gone to bed. The moment he walked in the door the house phone rang. Akito had an amazing sense of timing in that way.

"Hello?" Damnit. So many years of careful planning wasted. He braced himself for punishment.

"Don't ever think about looking in that library again. I have taken all the books out of your study and put them back where they belong. Do not question where I want my things. Especially the things you think are yours. Everything of yours is mine. Everything. It's EXACTLY where I WANT IT. DON'T COME BACK UNLESS I SAY SO." (click).

Shigure looked at the book in his hand, unable to believe his luck. He had gotten away with it. Really, gotten away with it. Dumbfounded, he walked up to his study to look at his treasure more privately. He figured he had at most a day or two to work before Akito discovered what had actually happened that night. He'd make good use of that time.

Let the games begin.


	3. Chapter 3

"Shigure-Kun! It's almost time for dinner!" A sunny voice yelled out. Almost too cheerful. He shuddered. He liked Tohru-kun, honestly, he did...but her attitude could be grating at times. He cared little for her brand of innocence and light, but knew that having her around served him in many ways. He paused. Was he that wicked? He took her in as much for her own good as for what she could unwittingly do for his many plots. It didn't matter, he supposed. She was here, and it benefitted both of them. If that was something that he should feel guilty about would be a question best left to the philosophers.

"Coming, my little flower!" He rang out with a smile. He was excellent at that, being endearingly obnoxious bordering on ridiculous. He wasn't thrilled that his book would wait, but Tohru-kuns cooking was truly excellent. THe way to a mans heart, not to mention a mans...he grinned in a much different way then a moment ago. Tohru was a truly delicate girl, the ideal Japanese object. He let his mind wander into her room, up the hem of her skirt, along her delicate thighs...a strong, masculine mouth on the most delicate of necks. He snapped out of it. His libido could truly be bothersome at times, especially when he had a tantalizing book of secrets in front of him. What to do? In the time it took to eat dinner, flatter Tohru, and bother the boys, Akito would most likely have discovered the true nature of his book. He had a limited time in which to operate. It would do no good to pretend to be ill, either. She would be in every ten minutes with soup, a book, tea, in that irritatingly fretful way of hers. He thought for a moment. A last minute "meeting" with his assistant might work. He ran downstairs.

"Oh, Tohru-kun! I'm ever so sorry, but I have an important meeting with my publisher! This smells delicious, though...and not just the food!" He leered at her, watching the hair on the back of Yuki and Kyou's neck stand up. It was too easy. He also noted her eyebrows knitting in consternation as she noted his absence, and the boys pleasure at the thought of having her to themselves for an entire evening. As if they'd know what to do with a woman for ten minutes, let alone an entire night of no supervision. Back in the day, her and Ayame would have had her bent over a table and screaming both their names at the same time. Nowadays, with the Cat and Mouse being who they were...they'd most likely brush her hand on the way to their separate rooms and proceed to write beautiful moonlit poetry about the experience.

Tohru insisted on packing him up a plate, which was fine with him. He thanked her with a gentle lift of the chin by his fingers, and a brief smolder. His parting gift to her. He recognized the signs of arousal, the dilated pupils, the flushed cheeks, the way her body leaned towards his...but no, he had more important things to do tonight. He took his book, his sacred and long coveted book, and went on his way.

He could hardly wait until he'd gotten to his office at his publisher's to crack it open. He frowned. It was completely blank! There was no way. The feeling he'd gotten when he'd touched it, this one trying to warn him away...there was no way. This had to be it. There must be something he wasn't seeing. No, the book was completely blank except for the moon on the...the moon! He looked around. His office was bright with flourescent light. He quickly turned it off. Oh..._perfect._ There was bright moonlight covering his desk. He sat down and opened the book up to the first page.

For a fearful ten or fifteen seconds...nothing. He was just about to give up when the faintest writing appeared. He stared fearfully. It started to blacken further, until it was clear. It was... was... There was no way.

He'd been expecting something as cryptic as could be, but the book was plain and simple, as straightforward as building a new shelf or calibrating a DVD player and not much more complex. There was a basic introduction explaining the way their zodiac curse worked, the most closely guarded secret of their god. What Akito had never wanted them to find out, what he'd hoped would stay locked forever, is that while the power of all zodiac animals was present in their chosen host family, they were strong and malleable enough to be manipulated in certain ways. With the right strength of will, a few choice ingredients, and the correct words... you could evolve. Trade. You could challenge your God for his place, and if the stars were correctly aligned...you could even _win_. He could be GOD. It wouldn't necessarily be easy, but to hoist Akito off his hollow throne and to enter into a new reign of power beyond the dogs wildest dreams...well, he thought to himself with glee, he had to at least try! He wrote down the instructions and the shopping list, and hurried to the nearest store. There wasn't much time left before he was found out and his opportunity to rule was behind him.


End file.
